Ten Milestones in French Cinema

1946 - First Cannes Film Festival

Considered to be the single most important film festival in the world today, the elegant affair held on the French Riviera had its debut after the end of World War II. Hardly the media circus it has evolved into, the simple festival was held in Cannes' old casino with forty-four films in competition, eleven of which won the Grand Prix, the top prize back then. Winners included "Brief Encounter", "The Lost Weekend", and "Rome, Open City".